Will Sheldon “Raffaella”

Company (145 Elizabeth St)

[Image: Will Sheldon "Raffaella on the lake in Maine" (2022)]

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Company Gallery presents Raffaella, a new series of paintings by artist Will Sheldon. Not unfamiliar to the figurative, Sheldon introduces us to another character in his world and her name is Raffaella.

The gallery is transformed into a monochromatic reliquary, where we are all encouraged to look carefully and closely; the water dripping down her collar bone, her skull-and-bones belt buckle situated comfortably around her torso, the perfectly shaded wrinkles and folds in her shirt. Sheldon also hints at a deeper narrative, as we see Raffaella fixed on a rocky coastline, or crawling around in what appears to be an atelier of sorts. But it’s not important; what is important is that Raffaella is painted to be seen.

Will Sheldon paints with Lightness and Exactitude. His mechanical process, airbrush, has an inherent delicacy as there is never a brush connecting with the surface – and it requires an immense amount of skill. Alongside these airbrushed paintings, Sheldon presents two drawings, executed precisely with Baroque directness and drama. And finally, we see his own restraint; both physically and emotionally. Sheldon’s gaze is respectful and earnest; the works presented here are undeniably made in Raffaella’s honor. Raffaella is a performance of adoration and infatuation that Sheldon has invited us all to see through his lens (it would be unfair to not make a note that he wears perfectly pink-tinted glasses).

- American Art Catalogues, February 2023

Will Sheldon (b.1990 in Hong Kong) lives and works in New York. He received a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in 2013. His work has previously been the subject of solo and two-person exhibitions at Weiss Falk, Basel (2022); Heidi, Berlin (2021); Team Gallery, New York (2020); Arcadia Missa, London (2018); White Columns, New York (2017); Cleopatra’s, Brooklyn (2017) and Romeo, New York (2016). He has participated in group shows at David Zwirner, New York (2022); The Community, Paris (2021); Below Grand, New York (2021); Company Gallery, New York (2021, 2020); SALTS, Basel (2019); Karma International, Zürich (2019); Lovaas Projects, Munich (2017) and Schloss, Oslo (2017). Zoe, a book based on a series of his paintings and drawings, published by American Art Catalogues, was released in August 2021. Articles about his work were published in Art News (2020 & 2017), Cultured Magazine (2019), Artforum (2017) among many others.